Programs & majors brief
Northern Illinois University Majors & Programs
Which majors earn the most at NIU?
49 of 49 programs shown
Each bar is a field’s median. Program size counts degrees awarded, not unique people or the earnings sample.
Compare all matching programs
| Program | Degrees awarded | 4-yr earnings | Field rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 35 | $93,962 | #165 |
| Computer Science | 132 | $93,438 | #120 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 115 | $86,999 | #187 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 48 | $86,511 | #77 |
| Accounting and Related Services | 122 | $83,573 | #71 |
| Industrial Engineering | 21 | $82,584 | #71 |
| Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General | 58 | $81,554 | #5 |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions small degree count | 19 | $76,856 | — |
| Marketing | 125 | $76,373 | #58 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 149 | $73,176 | #129 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | 94 | $71,040 | #50 |
| Mathematics | 29 | $69,856 | #136 |
| Apparel and Textiles small degree count | 10 | $68,636 | — |
| Economics | 28 | $66,760 | #185 |
| Chemistry | 30 | $65,611 | #83 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management small degree count | 19 | $58,546 | — |
| Sociology | 44 | $58,023 | #89 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 75 | $57,697 | #71 |
| Health/Medical Preparatory Programs | 153 | $55,778 | #9 |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions | 45 | $55,586 | #10 |
| Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services | 26 | $55,221 | #27 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 114 | $55,109 | #142 |
| Anthropology small degree count | 8 | $54,890 | — |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 35 | $54,666 | #94 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 106 | $54,207 | #131 |
| Political Science and Government | 67 | $54,039 | #236 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | 37 | $53,672 | #74 |
| Special Education and Teaching | 40 | $53,148 | #29 |
| Biology, General | 80 | $52,086 | #301 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics small degree count | 19 | $51,151 | — |
| Journalism small degree count | 19 | $50,658 | — |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 127 | $50,385 | #102 |
| Psychology, General | 193 | $49,669 | #201 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | 47 | $49,653 | #134 |
| Human Services, General small degree count | 11 | $49,514 | — |
| Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology small degree count | 7 | $49,198 | — |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | 72 | $49,147 | #56 |
| English Language and Literature, General | 43 | $47,981 | #180 |
| Geography and Cartography small degree count | 13 | $47,738 | — |
| History | 46 | $46,086 | #211 |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 88 | $44,202 | #76 |
| Music | 37 | $40,398 | #113 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 34 | $36,777 | #102 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering small degree count | 7 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Statistics small degree count | 11 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Philosophy small degree count | 12 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences small degree count | 13 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Physics small degree count | 10 | Too few graduates to report | — |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 166 | Too few graduates to report | — |
Program data and definitions · How to evaluate program rankings
What are the largest programs at NIU?
Counts describe degrees awarded in the reporting period, not current enrollment. Program data and definitions
How do NIU majors rank nationally?
National program rankings
- Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General#5
- Health/Medical Preparatory Programs#9
- Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions#10
- Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services#27
- Special Education and Teaching#29
- Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods#50
- Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods Included by program size#102
- Computer Science Included by program size#120
- Business Administration, Management and Operations Included by program size#129
- Psychology, General Included by program size#201
Programs ranked in the national top 50, supplemented by the largest ranked programs when needed to show ten. Fewer appear when fewer ranks are reported. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ.
Further analysis
What a graduate earns depends heavily on the field they choose, and Azimuth's program rankings measure four-year earnings among federally aided completers, median debt, and cohort size rather than reputation. Northern Illinois University has 34 ranked programs and earnings data for 43 fields.
The degree mix is led by Business, which accounts for 19.6% of bachelor's degrees awarded, followed by Health Professions at 16.1% and Education at 7.2%. The largest single program is Psychology, at 193 degrees a year, and Azimuth ranks it #201 within its field.
Health/Medical Preparatory Programs is both the second-largest program with published earnings and the highest-ranked among the largest five, sitting at #9 nationally and #1 in Illinois. The best-paid programs are in engineering and computing: Electrical Engineering graduates earn $93,962 four years after completion, and Computer Science graduates earn $93,438.
Engineering Technologies/Technicians carries the strongest national rank at #5, with earnings of $81,554 from 58 degrees a year.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.